During the weeklong National Day holidays, the "mysterious" Ailao Mountains in Southwest China's Yunnan province, off the beaten track, has turned into a hit attraction.

Initially, the Ailao Mountains gained attention through an adventure-themed blurry and mysterious video posted by an online blogger, which contained images of sudden encounters with fog and warning signs like "bears nearby," leaving netizens with a thrilling and creepy feeling. Curious tourists then flocked to the area, leading to blocked mountain roads, CCTV news reported on Monday.

10月5日，云南哀牢山仙境官方账号发布的一则航拍的哀牢山上山车道的视频显示，绕山而上的路上全是小汽车，已经堵得动弹不得。有网友表示，“真的没想到会‘人人人人人哀牢山人人人人人’”“这下真是‘想你的风吹到了哀牢山’。”

According to a video posted on Sunday by a local account of an aerial shot of the driveway up the mountains, the highway circling the mountains was packed with small cars stuck in traffic.

10月6日，哀牢山自然保护区楚雄管护局发布《云南哀牢山国家级自然保护区楚雄州辖区访客须知》及《关于禁止进入自然保护区开展各类未经批准的人为活动的告知书》，其中明确：

严禁任何单位和个人擅自进入哀牢山国家级自然保护区楚雄州辖区，楚雄州辖区未开展参观、旅游活动项目，严禁擅自进入开展各种徒步、健行、穿越、露营等活动。

未经批准进入自然保护区或者在自然保护区内不服从管理机构管理的，由自然保护区管理机构责令其改正，并可以根据不同情节处以100元以上5000元以下的罚款。

On Sunday, the relevant departments of the scenic area issued notices clearly indicating it is strictly prohibited for any individual or group to enter the area or participate in activities like hiking, trekking, or camping without proper authorization.

Another announcement released by the local authorities also claimed that tourists who enter the nature reserve without authorization or disobey the management authorities will face penalties by management and can be fined between 100 yuan ($14) and 5,000 yuan ($710).

哀牢山为何如此神秘？其实它不是一座山而是一片横亘在云贵高原与横断山脉分界线上绵延数百公里的群山。

哀牢山的彝语意思是“虎豹出没的地方”，这里保存了世界同纬度面积最大、人为干扰最少、最完整的亚热带中山湿性常绿阔叶林森林生态系统，地形复杂，天气多变，是国内动物资源最集中的宝库之一。

但这里山高林密，山坡坡度较大且多悬崖峭壁；这里常出现暴雨、暴雪、冰雹等恶劣天气，雨雾天气下浓雾密闭的森林里晚上会释放大量二氧化碳，人一旦长时间在山林中行走，有可能因为缺氧失去意识，进而失温；这里原始森林中野生动物多常有熊、豹、毒蛇等出没，即使是当地村民也不敢贸然前往深山。也因这样独特的魅力，哀牢山成为众多网友心目中的“禁地”。

The Ailao Mountains were located in the central part of Yunnan, spanning the prefecture-level cities of Chuxiong, Yuxi, and Pu'er. The mountains were dubbed by some as "Forest of Death" due to its ravines and dense forests, and unpredictable weather. It is crowned as the largest, least disturbed, and most intact subtropical montane wet evergreen broadleaf forest ecosystem at this latitude worldwide, according to public information. Its remote location and primitive nature have bred some "mysterious stories" related to this area. 

哀牢山的地理环境极为复杂，山中雾气弥漫，尤其是在雨雾天气下，浓雾密闭的环境里晚上会释放大量二氧化碳，人一旦长时间在山林中行走有可能因为缺氧失去意识，进而失温。此外，哀牢山经过测量存在着大地磁场强度异常的现象，导致指南针失灵，增加了迷路的风险。气候变化多端，地形极为复杂，这些因素共同作用使得哀牢山成为一个对人类构成致命危险的地方。

The deeper, inaccessible areas of the Ailao Mountains, still not open to the tourists, consist mostly of pristine forests without proper roads. These areas often face severe weather conditions, which can cause tourists to experience altitude sickness and hypothermia. The area's anomalous magnetic field can render compasses useless, heightening the risk of getting lost. 

据悉，有不少户外爱好者会在哀牢山外围的徒步，而哀牢山的深处，就连当地村民也不敢贸然前往。

哀牢山固然神秘有趣，但前往此地游玩的游客们一定要注意安全、保护自己，不要去往深山冒险。

2021年，据红星新闻报道，4名地质调查人员在哀牢山失踪遇难。曾前往救援的云南省登山户外运动协会会长胡文琨讲述，“我们指挥部在测量该地的磁场时发现，救援地的磁场是四川黑竹沟磁力强度的两倍。”胡文琨认为，失联疑主要是受当地的磁场干扰造成迷路，在遇难者自身没有认知到危险的状况下，发生了失温意外。

In November 2021, four geological surveyors sacrificed on duty after entering the hinterland of the Ailao Mountains. After forensic examination and joint on-site investigation, the main reason for the deaths of the four personnel was excessive physical exertion and the loss of body temperature caused by sudden gusts of wind and rapid drops in temperature, according to the CCTV news.

同时，胡文琨还表示，哀牢山的地质地形格外复杂一些，“这次救援行动在中国来说都是最大的了，它的救援难度应该是排在第一。”

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